Hide and Seek
by Ballerina.Embers
Summary: A Sasuke one shot... "A long and tired sigh escaped my lips as I sat down on a bench by the playground. The day went by fast. So many people, it was amazing that I managed to squeeze them all in one day... Well, most of them anyway." Sasuke Oc


_I'll have you know, I wrote this for someone's birthday… which was over two years ago. XD Hope you enjoy._

_Hide and Seek_

_A giggle was heard through the silence of Konoha's lush green forest. The cool wind shook the branches above and below, and running with the wind was a small girl, ordinary in every single way. ___

_"Ready or not... Here I come!" ___

_She clamped a hand over her mouth, and settled quietly within full bushes. She crouched down, and with a bright smile, waited to be found. Her ears twitched at the sound of feet hitting the ground. She forced herself to hold in her laughter. ___

`I wonder if he still remembers me...' I thought, finding myself grinning as I walked into an old and dusty home. I walked in, my fingers brushing against the wall. My memory told me where things once stood inside this abandoned home. Now there was nothing left...

"It's been a while, hasn't it...? Five years, is that right?" I asked myself as I walked into the room that was once my own. There in the corner, that's where my bed used to be--and by the window, that's where I used to sneak out at night, to play in the streets when no one was around... Heh, I used to worry my parents so much...

"Are you sure you want to move back in?" A voice said from the door to my room. I didn't answer as I opened the window, welcoming in the hot summer air. I turn, seeing my father, tall with features close to my own. "Yeah. I'm sure."

_"Found you!" A young boy shouted as he parted bushes to find the little girl. She frowned before sticking out her tongue._

"You cheated!"

"No I didn't!"

"Hmph..." She gave a huff, getting out of the bushes and brushing off the dirt on her knees. The black haired boy simply stood there, smiling. She looked at him with her sour expression, but it didn't stay that way for long. No one could be angry at him with that look on his face.

"Fine... Go hide and I'll count to ten..." She muttered, turning around and putting her hands over her eyes. Swiftly, he ran off, his heart filled with excitement at the thought of being hunted down.

`I bet a lot of girls are still hunting him down...' I thought, grinning at the thought. He never liked being stalked by anyone, no matter who they were. `Well, that's if he's still the same... I hope he hasn't changed too much on me...'

"Why don't you go out and look for your friends?" My mother asked, walking over to me as she dried her hands off with a towel. I was currently sitting at the kitchen table, my chin on the hard wooden surface. It didn't sound like a bad idea... But what if he thought I was stalking him? No, if he were the person I knew when I was little, he would find me first.

"I think I'll do that." I said as I got up. I shouldn't be a hermit. I should meet up with long lost friends and see how things are. Don't want to seem self-centered of course.

"Be back before dark, dear."

"Like always." I said to her, leaving my home to walk in the dirt streets of Konoha. I looked up in the sky, suddenly realizing something... Out of all the places I've been to, Konoha's sky was always blue, always sunny.

"Lets see if I can find Hinata." I told myself, before walking down the street to search for the girl.

_"Ready or not, here I come!" The little girl called out before turning around. She stared for a moment, the large forest almost seeming intimidating to her. She didn't notice until now, but she had no idea where she was. How far off did the boy run? Maybe he didn't go in that direction..._

This girl wasn't like most of her friends. She didn't attend to the Ninja Academy in Konoha, for the simple fact that she was too weak-hearted. She trembled at the sight of blood, and wouldn't even think about picking up a kunai. In the Ninja Academy, they teach basic skills to students, but she has no knowledge of basics.

"I can do this..." She said to the peace and silence of the lush green forest. She walked, her eyes searching for anything out of place. She wasn't going to give up on this fun game, but searching for her best friend inside such a dense place--It'll take a while...

"Hinata...?" I asked, noticing a familiar girl sitting with two boys and a dog. Her head snapped up at the name, and the two boys were quick to notice me. Though one out of the trio did not seem surprised, the other two were quick to get on their feet.

"Kyo!" They said in unison.

"I'm glad you remember." I said simply before I was suddenly yanked by the arm and forced into a deadly hug.

"Kiba--... I need--... air!"

"Heheh, sorry." He said, quickly releasing me and taking a step back. I felt all three of them looking me over, as I did the same to them.

"I noticed you're all genin's now, right?" I asked Hinata. She smiled, her cheeks going pink as she nodded.

"We were just training for the chuunin exam... How have you been?" She asked politely, her index fingers fiddling with each other.

"Oh, I've been fine. Parents drive me crazy sometimes, but that's it." I looked over to Shino, putting my hands on my hips and waiting for him to say something. He stared at me, being silent. He can be so annoying when he does that... "Well...? I'm waiting, Shino."

That put the spotlight on him. Hinata and Kiba looked at him with a questioning look in their eyes as he pushed up his glasses.

"... It's nice to see you're back."

"There, now was that so hard?" I teased. Grinning, I looked back to Hinata, seeing that she was struggling to say something.

"Um--Kyo... M--Maybe, if you're not busy--you would like to join Neji and I f--for tea..."

"Sure, I don't see why not." Hinata and would have a chance to talk about thing... Certain things. "So, how is everyone? What's happened since I've been gone?"

"Hmm... Who should I start with... Well, Ino and Sakura have become rivals. If you want to stay on their good side, it's best not to talk about _Sasuke_..." Kiba said in a mocking tone as he placed his chin in his fist. "Sasuke...? I have nothing to say about him..." He said, places his hands in his pockets.

"Naruto became a genin... He's in a group with Sasuke and Sakura..." Hinata managed to utter, before Kiba added on. He must know that Hinata had a thing for Naruto, or else he wouldn't have stopped. Heh, mister nice guy Kiba.

"Ohh, and Ino's in Shikamaru and Choji's group. Shikamaru's still Shikmaru, and Choji's still Choji..." He managed to wrap up everything pretty quickly...

"Oh, and Neji. He's with Lee and Ten-Ten..." Hinata said.

_She was lost. She had no idea which way was north or south, and she couldn't see the sun through the tree branches._

She had been wondering aimlessly through the forest. Sometimes, she'd retrace her steps to find her way back to where the boy found her, but it was no use. She couldn't find the black haired boy. She couldn't even find out where she was.

Then there was movement. Her eyes snapped up, noticing his movement. It was up in the tree branches, but before her eyes could catch it, the figure jumped off onto another tree branch, getting farther away from her. She started running after the figure.

"Hey, that's cheating!"

"Well, I'm going to go. See ya." I said shortly, turning around and waving off as I walked away.

"Oh, before you go--" Hinata suddenly shouted, but stopped, realizing how loud she had said that... With question, I turned to see Hinata looking down at the ground, messing with her fingers... A habit she's seemed to have taken while I was gone... "Sasuke. He'll be coming back from his mission today..."

"Oh, thanks. I'll keep that in mind." I uttered, before continuing my way into the town. Kiba looked at Hinata, confused. He was always kind of slow to catch on...

_"I know you can hear me! Wait!"_

"Kyo, who are you talking to?"

The girl tripped, twisting her ankle in the process... Her hands stopped her fall, and she looked around, and spotted the Uchiha. She rose her eyebrows and tilted her head in a cute angle.

"Sasuke--Weren't you just--..." She bit back on her tongue. "... Never mind. Can we stop playing now?"

"Yeah, if you want. Are you okay?" He asked, holding out his hand, which was gladly taken.

"Yeah... Lets just go back."

A long and tired sigh escaped my lips as I sat down on a bench by the playground. The day went by fast. So many people, it was amazing that I managed to squeeze them all in one day... Well, most of them anyway.

"Uuuugh, so annoying." I yelled to the emptiness of the playground. I leaned back and tilted my head backwards, and shut my eyes.

"Hmph." My ears twitched suddenly at the sound of something that did not come from me. My eyes cracked open as I tilted my head forward again. Before me was the oh-so-cool Uchiha boy.

"Sasuke..." I said, completely un-aware that I mumbled his name.

"Aren't you a little old to be hanging around a playground?" He said coolly. He was standing straight, his hands in his pockets. His grin was smug, but I grinned back, not wanting him to think that I was hurt by words.

"I could ask you the same." Silence went by along with a breeze. I looked beyond him, noticing the horizon. Clouds were glittering and beams of light that escaped the choking clouds shined brightly. Defiant 'till the end.

Almost like that day...

_"Sasuke...?"_

"Yeah...?"

"Nothing." She said, grinning. The boy rolled his eyes.

"... Huh, you're so annoying..." Her grin grew at his words, and he soon grinned along.

The girl was walking down a dirt street now, and the sun seemed to have set the sky on fire, creating the illusion of an orange sky. Looking up, she admired that moment. She was standing with her best friend under the evening sky... The air she breathed was so crisp and clean... She wanted to pause everything, and keep them the way they were at that moment... Then suddenly, she decided to say something before the sun disappeared till the morning.

"Sasuke, don't ever change." He looked to her, but her gaze was unmoving. He looked on, staring at the closing horizon.

"I won't if you won't..."

`You better have kept your promise.' She though angrily.

Sasuke held out his hand, and she took it. His skin was pale, just like before. His eyes were still the same-- everything was still the same. Good.

After the assassination of the Uchiha clan, my family didn't want me to be anywhere near Sasuke, because of his bloodline. They were only trying to protect me, along with themselves. If I got close to him, which I already was, maybe I would get hurt. It wasn't my choice.

"You're here for good now, right?" He asked with all seriousness. I nodded, but he didn't let go of my hand. I rose a brow in question as he smiled.

"Good." Then he quickly put a flower into my hand. Thick deep green stem, with light blue petals that went to a solid blue at the ends.

"Just like before..." I said, under a whisper as I raised it to my nose. I looked up to Sasuke. His hands had placed themselves back into their pockets, and his gaze was turned away from me.

"Thanks."

"Whatever..."


End file.
